4 Upcoming Fantasy and Romantasy Books We Already Want Adaptations Of

September 5, 2026, 9:40pm

If you’ve been paying any attention to entertainment trends, you probably already know that fantasy and its subgenre romantasy are having a moment. Thanks to BookTok and a surge in reading, stories with dragons, adventures, faeries, and even a little spice have been a big deal and Hollywood has taken notice. Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing is being developed for a television series while Callie Hart’s Quicksilver has a film adaptation in the works while the 2018 young adult fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi has a movie adaptation headed to theaters in January. There’s no doubt about it, the sweeping worlds of fantasy are destined for the screen.

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But while there are some well-known books with devoted fanbases being adapted, there are some upcoming fantasy and romantasy books that are on their way to shelves that we’re already hoping get the adaptation treatment. Sure, we haven’t read them yet but they just sound like they’re perfect to go from page to screen so consider this our official request: we already know we want to see adaptations of these four, soon-to-be-published books.

4) Wench by Erynne Rivers

Okay, you caught us. Technically Wench is already out — it was published in July — but that doesn’t change our opinion of things. We want an adaptation of this one ASAP! Rivers’ debut novel, Wench is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, this time with Maid Marian as a strong, female main character. That alone has us interested — Robin Hood stories are a lot of fun. However, Wench has a lot of extensive world building that some reviews have compared to that of Lord of the Rings. Marian is also not necessarily a perfectly likeable protagonist who has plenty of flaws and frustrations. By mixing Robin Hood with the fae, Rivers has created something that is both familiar and unique and frankly, that’s the kind of entertainment we would like to see. Get this one a movie, stat!

3) The Empire Burns at Dawn by Fatima Al-Shemary

Headed to shelves on December 1st, The Empire Burns at Dawn by Fatima Al-Shemary might just be at the top of our TBR. The book is the first in The Ages of Alifan series and is described as The Arabian Nights meets romantasy. The story follows the Adani sisters who embark on separate missions to help their father get power — he’s been scheming to take the corrupt Shah’s thrones. However, the missions they’re on are not necessarily of their own choice as both Dunya and Shayda have been sent off as brides to aid in their father’s plan. The sisters find themselves facing enemies, their own circumstances, and perhaps even worse, dark magic and a pantheon of ancient gods. At its most basic level, The Empire Burns at Dawn sounds like a story of two sisters out to save not just the world but themselves and we’re sure there’s a ton of action involved. We couldn’t be more excited for this one and really would love to see it in live action.

2) The Wolves of War by John Gwynne

This isn’t the first time we’ve mentioned this one but it’s worth suggesting again: John Gwynne’s The Wolves of War is a book we definitely want to get an adaptation. The book is set in the same world as Gwynne’s The Bloodsworn Saga and is inspired by Slavic mythology. The book will take readers into a “world of dark forests and frozen rivers, of ancient myth and forgotten magic, where one young woman’s power will decide the fate of a kingdom”. With Gwynne’s reputation for incredible, immersive worlds and great characters, this is a tale that we don’t need all the details on to know we want to see hit the screen. The book is set to hit stores on November 3rd and is the first book in a new duology from Gwynne and we’re already sure that we want whatever the second book ends up being to be adapted, too.

1) A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas

Okay, we are cheating just a little bit here. What we really want is an adaptation of the whole A Court of Thorns and Roses series of which A Court of Splintered Harmony, due out on October 27th, is the sixth book. A seventh book, A Court of Forgotten Melody, will follow it on January 12, 2027 — together, the two books make up The Valkyrie Cycle. Covers for both books were recently released and our excitement level is high. But the main reason this one is on our list is because we still really want to see A Court of Thorns and Roses get its adaptation. A series had previously been in the works at Hulu, but that was scrapped. However, these are stories that we still really want to see hit the screen and we remain hopeful that it will happen. After all, Apple did make a big play into fantasy earlier this year when they picked up Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. Maybe ACOTAR will be next.